I suggest that this plea deal event may be an example of the usefulness of the death penalty as a negotiating tool. A spokesman for the State of Virginia complained recently in the media that the State is losing access to the drugs used for lethal injection. This could indicate that those sentenced to the death penalty might end up riding the lightning. Being fried is unappealing. Without the death penalty on the table, there is no urgency for negotiation that could give some closure to the parents. He might have sat in prison for the rest of his life claiming he was innocent.
But perhaps I am incorrect, he comes from a fine family and perhaps they convinced him to pray.